Chapter 4

"Is Grapon a girl...? I thought she was a fully grown male player..."

"Well, I basically played using an uncle avatar. I didn't think you were a girl either, Mercenary."

"No, I'm a guy. But, to be honest, it's my fault for making my avatar look feminine... If Grapon was a girl, I wouldn't have made my avatar look so feminine."

"Why, Mercenary... I mean, you're a Villager A now. Did you make your Villager look feminine?"

"Sure, I did. You were trying to become a Parasite player and cause a stir... Ah."

"Alright, let me punch you. Your pranks almost got me flamed the other day!?"

"Hahaha, being a popular streamer is tough, huh!? Here, here, Raijin-kun?"

He poked Raijin with his elbow, and Raijin resisted, looking genuinely annoyed.

"Hehehe, you and Raijin are such good friends... I wish I had friends my age to play games with..."

"No, Pon, I don't think 'good friends' is the right term for us."

"Ah, no? Raijin and I are best friends, okay?"

"Stop mimicking that otaku tone of voice!! Your impressions are so good, it just makes me even more angry!?"

"Ah, ah, you two... People are staring..."

As we were arguing, the attention of the people around us gradually focused on us, so we started walking out of town from the fountain square.

"Ah, it's probably going to be posted on the bulletin board again..."

"I can eat three bowls of rice just by reading the Raijin-hate threads."

"Seriously, stop it. Those threads just make me so angry."

Raijin grumbled as he walked beside me, looking cheerful. Then, Pon, who had been walking behind us, came up to me and spoke with a smile.

"Did you end up making Mercenary a Hunter (Archer)?"

"Ah, I'm a Villager A now, so I'm a Villager. Yeah, that's right."

"Really, you made him a Hunter... Your arrows won't hit, right? You can't change jobs unless you go to [Secondarya], so you'll have to take me as a Parasite..."

"They will hit?"

"Right... Even at level 10, a good player only hits about half the time. So, struggling against slimes...?"

"No, they will hit. I didn't hit at all when I was level 1, but by level 3, I was hitting about half the time, and by level 5, I could hit even while spamming."

"Yay, yay, yay!! This PS is a ghost!! Your mom is a pro gamer!"

"It's true, but why are you taunting me like that!? Isn't that a new trick!?"

"Wow, is your mom a pro gamer, Villager?"

"Pon, you're so laid-back..."

"I come from a gamer family. I live alone, so I haven't seen them in a while."

Incidentally, his father is also a pro gamer. They belong to different teams, but from what I've been checking online, they seem to be doing pretty well. I beat them up in Aims, though!

"Really? I just started living alone too. Can I ask you some questions?"

"Pon, don't. This guy lives a pretty sloppy life."

"Leave it to me! First, I'll teach you how to take out the trash."

"No, I know that much..."

Pon sighed, looking exasperated. Hmm, I was going to teach you how to pack your trash efficiently...

We were chatting, and before we knew it, we had arrived at the south gate of the town. It seems that the east gate leads to the tutorial area [Plains of Beginnings], while the south gate leads to an area called [Ferio Forest].

"Pon and I have already mapped out part of the Ferio Forest, but you, Villager, haven't been there yet, right?"

"I've been playing with slimes. So, Shadow, I'll leave the navigation to you."

"Leave it to me."

"No, don't leave it to me! Ah... Well, I guess it's fitting for a Villager."

"Maybe if you raise your affection with Shadow, something event-like might happen?"

"No, I doubt there are any unique events... But, yeah, I hadn't considered that possibility. First of all, why is there such a robot-like navigation AI in a fantasy world? And why does it call the amnesiac protagonist 'Master' but not give any information about his past? And..."

"It's a game, so it's convenient. Ah, crap. Raijin's switch is on. This is why theorists are... Pon, let's go hunting."

"Y-Yes!"

"How much does Shadow know? Why is this AI attached to each player? Hey, Villager, what do you think... Wait, you're not here!!"

Raijin, who had finally realized he was left behind, hurriedly chased after us.

"Is Pon's job pretty wide-ranging in terms of attack area?"

"Yeah, like in Aims, the bomb-based firepower is amazing, but it can also affect close-range jobs, so it doesn't go well with Raijin."

"Right, he's a Dual Swordsman, so he'll get caught in it."

"There's also a blast that can cancel out magic or blow away arrows, so it's often seen as a landmine..."

Seeing Pon looking dejected, I chuckled.

"If you calculate the wind direction, I think you can hit the arrows, and even with the blast, you can manage."

"Probably only you can do that, Villager..."

Hmm, I thought while shooting a slime that was hopping nearby. Pon, looking surprised, sighed.

"Why can you hit while looking away?"

"Listening to sounds is basic in FPS. Besides, aiming at the direction of the sound is something even Pon can do, right?"

"True, but in my case, it's a grenade launcher, so the scale and destruction power are different..."

As I tried to retrieve the arrow that had pierced the slime, it crumbled like charcoal.

"Ah, it seems that arrows can only be reused about three times when used on soft monsters... That's bad, most of my stock is down to one use left..."

I thought that if I only fought soft monsters, the arrows would be reusable, but that was a misunderstanding. I'll check the price of arrows at the item shop later... Ah, right.

"Ah, sorry, Pon, did you go to the item shop earlier? Do you know the price of arrows?"

"Sorry, I didn't check... The price of mini bombs was 500 manny..."

"Whoa, that's expensive. That's definitely a job you shouldn't choose as your first... It's probably cheaper, but it's one of the reasons why it's the most unpopular job... It's going to be expensive..."

A slime gives 3 manny, so if an arrow costs 10 manny, even if I use it to its maximum, it will be a loss... Firework masters are a big loss, to say the least. In the early stages, I'll have to use most of my money to replenish them.

"I'll have to leech off that handsome guy in the early stages..."

"Really, don't become a Parasite player..."

Raijin, who had finally caught up with Pon and me, emerged from the grass, out of breath.

Seeing him, I said one thing.

"A wild Raijin has appeared!"

"I'm not a monster to be carried in a pocket."

Raijin sighed, looking exasperated. As I approached Raijin, I patted his shoulder and smiled.

"So, can you solo us and go on a rampage? (smile)"

"That's a nice way of putting it, but it's still leeching, isn't it?"

Raijin, holding his head, his face twisted.

"Can you still say that after using me to win the grand prize?"

"Still holding a grudge, huh... Well, there are financial issues. And when I went hunting with Pon, we didn't have a proper attack method, so leveling up isn't a bad idea. It will also increase proficiency."

"Sorry, Raijin. I'm asking you too."

"Ah, Pon is so honest, he looks like a good kid. Villager, you should learn from him a bit."

"What?"

Seeing Raijin's glare, I retorted with a glare of my own.

"Alright, Raijin. ...Ah, they're here! So, please!"

The grass rustled, and a green, humanoid monster with an ugly face leaped out. It was a goblin, a staple of classic RPG monsters.

"Alright, I'll do it. But, Pon, I haven't approved you in the party yet, so can you get in one hit?"

"Understood. Even a little will do, right?"

"Even a scratch will give you experience, so please hit it...!"

"Kyaahh!?"

I aimed and fired an arrow, thinking it would be good practice. It hit the goblin's leg as intended and then crumbled, having reached its usage limit.

"You're really a PS freak! Have you already maxed out your skill level?"

"Still level 5?"

"Right. Well, you've always been a bit off, haven't you?"

Raijin, while chatting, efficiently sliced the goblin with his initial equipment, the [Twin Daggers]. The goblin's wounds increased rapidly, and it exploded into polygons.

——————————————

[Battle Result]

[Enemy] [Goblin]

[Combat Time] 0:54

[EXP Gained] 8 EXP

[Money Gained] 10 manny

——————————————

"Nice, my [Dual Sword Technique] skill level is now 4."

"You. Oh, 10 manny? Maybe hunting goblins is the best at the start."

"Hunters spend money on arrows, so it's inconvenient. Ah, Villager, if you hunted for two hours in the Plains of Beginnings, is your bow's durability okay?"

"Huh, bows have durability?"

In Aims, while ammunition costs money, there was no durability setting for guns, so I hadn't thought about it. Ah, this is an MMORPG, so it makes sense...

Focusing on the gear icon in the corner of my vision, the menu window appeared. Selecting equipment from the menu, my body icon and armor and weapons were displayed. I tapped the weapon labeled "Wooden Bow."

——————————————

[Wooden Bow] Durability 15/100

A simple bow made of plain wood, used by beginners.

STR +4

——————————————

"Wow, this is already worn out... What should I do? How much does a replacement bow cost?"

"I think a wooden bow costs 800 manny."

"Great, I'm definitely in the red! Damn it!"

I held my head in my hands at Raijin's words. What should I do with this job? Why does it have such a low return? Well, the same goes for firework masters.

"Ah, well, it's fine. Raijin-senpai will carry me."

"Hey, stop making such bold leeching declarations."

"So, can I join the party?"

"It's a complicated feeling, but I have no choice..."

Raijin's party request appeared, and I accepted it. Pon and Raijin's player names and health bars appeared below my health bar in the upper right corner of my vision.

"Wow, this is convenient."

"In Aims, there are similar displays, but not like this. Villager is so fresh and interesting."

"It feels like I'm seeing my early days."

Raijin and Pon laughed, and I felt a bit embarrassed, blushing.

"I've been playing VR games for a long time, but I've never seriously played an online RPG like this, so it's understandable..."

"I think it's good? Enjoying the game is important, kid?"

"What kind of character are you...?"

While saying this, I checked the remaining arrows. There were 8 left. Two could be reused twice, and the rest only once, so I couldn't waste them.

"But it feels unsatisfying..."

"Maybe you're not satisfied without PVP?"

"No, it's fun, really. But it feels like my identity is being compromised."

"Huh?"

Raijin tilted his head, so I aimed and fired an arrow at the ground. The arrow stuck in the ground as usual.

"See?"

"See what, what?"

Hmm, I guess I have to explain.

"So, I want to try creating a skill for the first time."

"What do you mean by 'so'... Ah, wait, don't tell me..."

"That's exactly it. So..."

My identity. What makes me, me, the pervert sniper in Aims. I want to symbolize that, now.

"I want to create the [Ricochet] skill."

In this world, far from blood and bullets.

A pervert archer, is born.